meanwhile
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meanwhile
Expresses that something has happened or changed in the meantime up to the present point. Synonyms are 'inzwischen' (by now/in the meantime) and 'unterdessen' (meanwhile).
Anfangs mochte ich keinen Kaffee, aber mittlerweile trinke ich ihn jeden Morgen.
At first I didn't like coffee, but by now I drink it every morning.
The word is made up of 'mittler' (middle) and 'Weile' (a period of time). So it literally means 'in the middle time' and describes what has happened in the time between an earlier moment and the present moment.
Er ist vor einem Jahr umgezogen und hat mittlerweile viele neue Freunde gefunden.
He moved a year ago and has since made many new friends.
As an adverb, 'mittlerweile' (meanwhile/by now) can stand in position 1, followed by the verb in position 2. But it can also stand after the conjugated verb within the sentence.
Mittlerweile verstehe ich die Grammatikregel.
By now I understand the grammar rule.
'Mittlerweile' (meanwhile/by now) often emphasizes a contrast between 'früher' (earlier/in the past) and 'jetzt' (now). The sentence implies that a situation has changed over time.
Früher hatte ich Angst vor Hunden, aber mittlerweile spiele ich gerne mit ihnen.
I used to be afraid of dogs, but by now I enjoy playing with them.
already
Schon and mittlerweile can show that a state has now been reached. Schon often highlights that this happened early or surprisingly, while mittlerweile neutrally refers to the development in the meantime. Use schon when something happened earlier than expected, and mittlerweile when looking at how things have developed.
Nach mehreren Monaten kann Lea mittlerweile allein fahren.
After several months, Lea can now drive on her own.
Nach nur drei Monaten kann Lea schon allein fahren.
After only three months, Lea can already drive on her own.
